Copy-2 reported dead in Savannah military cargo plane crash

(CNN/Meredith) -- Emergency crews are responding to a military plane crash in Savannah, Georgia, said Candace Carpenter, spokeswoman for the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.

Of the five people that were on board, two deaths have been confirmed, according to affiliate WTOC.

The crash did not occur at the airport but a few miles away, off state Highway 21, airport spokeswoman Candace Carpenter said.

The Savannah Professional Firefighters Association told local media the military plane was a C-130 Hercules that crashed.

"It was horrible," said Denver Goodwin, who works at a wrecker service down the street from the crash. "The ground shook like a bomb was going off. All the people in the building started panicking. It was absolutely horrible."

Video from CNN affiliate WSAV shows thick black smoke and flames billowing from what appears to be a green hangar or warehouse.

Minh Phan was at an outlet mall in Pooler, Georgia, a few miles away when he captured an image of smoke rising over the tree line.

A tweet from the Savannah Professional Firefighters Association showed the tail of the plane emerging from black smoke and fire. Highway 21 has been shut down, the union said.